Farnborough International Airshow 2006
The 2006 Farnborough International Airshow was a great improvement on the 2004 event. The organisers had worked hard to tackle a number of issues that occurred in 2004 and in return saw much better participation. There was an impressive array of aircraft on show and a number a debuts. Significantly, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd participate for the first time with solo displays from the HAL Dhruv utility helicopter and the HAL HJT-36 training jet.
Airbus dominated the commercial side again and in the flying display presented two giants – the Airbus A340-600 and the A380. However it was the defence industry that really thrived at Farnborough with a large presence on the ground and in the air by the US DoD, Lockheed Martin and Boeing. BAE Systems also presented the Nimrod MRA4 at Farnborough for the first time and there was also significant participation from Italy with the Panavia Tornado MLU and Aermacchi M346 giving punchy displays
But it was the return of the Russians with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29OVT that caught the eye. It mattered not weather the MiG display under clear blue skies or the clag that arrived in time for the public weekend, it was always spectacular!
All photography by Paul Johnson/Flightline UK.
